They’ll say I’ve failed if I don’t bring back gold
Max Whitlock on dealing with pressure and being a new dad
WILLOW WHITLOCK may have just turned two but it seems gymnastics is in t he genes. ‘Honestly, you can’t keep up with her,’ smiles her double Olympic champion dad, Max Whitlock.
‘ She did her first pre- school gymnastics class on Tuesday. She is already doing forward rolls, which is pretty cool. She knows the tuck, pike and straddle shapes. She has got her own little leotard. She is doing really well.
‘I’ve always said gymnastics is one of the best starting sports to help learn about your body and become more agile.
‘I feel very proud that I’ve been part of a generation in which we’ve turned it into a sport where it can be a career. So if that’s something Willow wants to do as she gets older, we’ll give it a go.’
First-time father Whitlock was hoping his daughter would get to witness her new passion first hand at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, when he wil l be defending his titles. Because of coronavirus, overseas spectators are banned from Japan — and that includes the families of athletes.
‘It’s been a long time where I’ve been at home and I’ve been really fortunate to get that time with Willow, so going away will be difficult,’ says Whitlock, 28.
‘ It’s something I’ ve always struggled with. But my wife Leah was already thinking about not coming with her before they announced the changes and I think it’s the right decision. It might sound selfish, but I would prefer them to be at home so I don’t have to worry about where they are in Tokyo and what they are doing.
‘ If I know they are at home watching me and having a nice time in a comfortable environment, that’s good enough for me.
‘When Willow sees me on TV now, she recognises me and says “Dad”, not even “Daddy”. So it will be nice for her to be able to see me doing gymnastics. It’s a shame she won’t be able to come to Tokyo but she is a huge push for me trying to go on at the top level of the sport for as long as I can so she can watch me in the biggest competitions.’
Whether Willow will even see her dad on TV, though, remains to be seen. Japan is gripped by a fourth wave of coronavirus and a government minister admitted last week that cancelling the Games was still an option.
‘It goes without saying there is going to be difficulties,’ says Whitlock. ‘But I’m very positive, everything i s telling me i t’s going ahead. A lot has been put in place to make sure it is as safe as possible.’
Whitlock will get a trial run living in an athletes’ bubble when he competes in the European Championships, which start in Basel on Wednesday. It is his first international competition since winning a third pommel horse title at the World Championships in Stuttgart in October 2019 and the four-time European champion admits: ‘It’s been 18 months, that’s a very long time to not compete and that plays a huge part. I feel in a good place physically but rusty in terms of competitions. The Europeans are important. It’s a big stepping stone and hopefully a big confidence boost going into Tokyo.’
Should the Games go ahead, Whitlock knows he will be deemed a failure should he come away with anything but gold. Winning the pommel and floor on one glorious day in Rio five years ago instantly made him a household name. But with it has brought greater expectation.
‘ The pressure has rocketed through the roof,’ he says. ‘People don’t look at the challenges and the breaks in preparation. They expect me to win the gold. I think it was really shown in 2018. That year I didn’t get gold in the pommel horse in the Commonwealth Games. I got silver and I was seen as a failure for the whole of 2018.
‘It is hard to get away from that expectancy, that if I don’t bring back gold, I have failed. That is really tough as a gymnast because anything can happen on the day. The difference between gold and silver can be the tiniest margin ever. But if we flip it on its head, there are a lot more people behind me than before, wanting me to bring back something so they can feel proud to be British.
‘I definitely feel old but I am still going, I am still there, I am still improving. I am still fighting for those titles at 28 years old when a lot of people would have been retiring now. I don’t want to retire any time soon. I am looking to go to Tokyo and I want to go to Paris.’
A strong showing by Whitlock and his team- mates in Tokyo would be t i mely f or British Gymnastics, given the governing body’s reputation has been ripped to shreds by the recent accounts of abuse from young gymnasts.
Whitlock has been saddened by the scandal but wants to help ensure it never happens again. ‘The gymnasts talking out is the great thing. It shows a lot of bravery and where the sport is moving towards, that they feel confident now to speak out.
‘ As an older team member, I do care a lot about the gymnasts coming through. If there are any ways that I can help, I would talk to anybody about it. Hopefully there won’t be any issues like this again.’